Art by Sheer Force of Will

Saturday I FORCED MYSELF TO PUT BUTT IN STUDIO CHAIR at my studio desk with a sheet of 8½x14 paper in front me, a sheet I'd used as a 'mop' and 'blotter' underneath another project. Point was, it was already covered in a base coat of pink paint, so I wasn't entirely starting from scratch. I set the radio on KYOT [lovely yet not-too-intrusive jazz], then just started grabbing things from cupboards & drawers & cigar boxes, gluing it all down on this base paper, no editing or changing-of-mind allowed. I propped it up on my easel to dry in front of the fan, while I did the same prep to another sheet of legal paper that had some blue paint marks & splatters in its center. I used fabric glue to stick down a shredded piece of blue interfacing, then sprinkled clear embossing powder all over it, shook off the extra and heated it. The heat gun melted the interfacing in some really cool ways, created pockets & shreds & ripped effects that I liked. Then I added some stamped images & hung it outside to dry. (Have I mentioned that I HATE the 'letting things dry' stage?)

Got back onto the pink paper -- mixed some lilac walnut ink with clear gesso and swept a layer over the entire sheet, wiped a few areas back off, then hung THAT outside to dry [ergg, drying!] & brought the blue page back in. I studied it a long time, then cut it where it seemed obvious 'forms' or natural divisions occurred on the page. Then, again without allowing much editing or change-of-heart, I embellished these blue portions. Below is the result, minus one tag-shaped piece that Double BB immediately took possesion of.